@article{fdi:010074012,
  title = {{R}amial wood amendments ({P}iliostigma reticulatum) mitigate degradation of tropical soils but do not replenish nutrient exports},
  author = {{F}elix, {G}. {F}. and {C}lermont {D}auphin, {C}athy and {H}ien, {E}. and {G}root, {J}. {C}. {J}. and {P}enche, {A}. and {B}arth{\`e}s, {B}ernard and {M}anlay, {R}. {J}. and {T}ittonell, {P}. and {C}ournac, {L}aurent},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{R}estoring degraded soils to support food production is a major challenge for {W}est {A}frican smallholders who have developed local innovations to counter further degradation. {T}he objective of this study was to evaluate a local farmer's technique that uses ramial wood ({RW}) as soil amendment ({P}iliostigma reticulatum shrub). {T}hree treatments were applied in an experimental plot in {B}urkina {F}aso: control (no amendment), low {RW} (3{M}gfresh mass ha(-1)yr(-1)), and high {RW} (12{M}gfresh mass ha(-1)yr(-1)). {RW} was chipped to <5-cm pieces and either buried or mulched. {T}opsoil carbon ({C}), nitrogen ({N}), and phosphorus ({P}) in control and low-{RW} treatments declined after 7years of continuous sorghum cultivation. {U}se of high-{RW} amendment stabilized soil {C} content while {N} and {P} declined, thus not replenishing nutrient exports. {N}et contribution to soil {C} in the layer measuring 0-15cm was 15% of the applied {C} in the high-{RW} amendments. {A}lthough biomass and grain yields were higher in high-{RW} treatments, crop productivity declined throughout the experiment for all treatments. {T}ermite casts on {RW} treatments evidenced the potential role of wood-foraging termites in diluting the impact of {RW} on soil fertility build-up and soil water content. {W}e conclude that mitigating soil degradation under semiarid conditions in {B}urkina {F}aso would require large amounts of woody amendments, particularly if the level of termite activity is high. {A}dditional nutrient sources would be needed to compensate for removal in exported products so that biomass and grain production can be stabilized or increased.},
  keywords = {adaptation ; farmer innovation ; {S}ahel ; shrub material ; termites ; {BURKINA} {FASO} ; {OUAGADOUGOU} ; {ZONE} {SOUDANOSAHELIENNE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{L}and {D}egradation and {D}evelopment},
  volume = {29},
  numero = {8},
  pages = {2694--2706},
  ISSN = {1085-3278},
  year = {2018},
  DOI = {10.1002/ldr.3033},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010074012},
}